Monday 28 October 2013

Public Health: Lunch in 2063

‘Left unchecked, climate change aligned with population explosion and low agricultural yields will drastically increase global poverty and hunger over the next two decades’, warns the international aid organization Oxfam in a report released in May 2011.

Ryan Cheti and Shay Ola, founders of the Rebel Dining Society, have come up with a way in which we in the UK can help the global food crisis by consuming our protein from a more sustainable source than livestock. Their culinary inspiration centres on us obtaining our daily protein requirements from the humble insect; a concept which appears to be rather remarkable in the UK but is in fact already adopted by 80 % of the world’s population.

I attended a Sunday dinner that Cheti and Ola believe (or at least hope) will become customary in the future. The menu consisted of four dim sums filled with:

1.       Mealworms with forbidden rice and oyster mushrooms
2.       Locusts with shiro simeji and lotus root
3.       Mealworm with water chestnut and shitake mushroom
4.       Locusts with taro root and hon shimeji

Having turned up expecting a tasty leg of lamb for my supper, I was a bit dismayed to find out that I would in fact be eating insects and tried to scoff as many of the courses as possible before finding out the finer details of the menu. Up until the point where the menu was revealed though, I thought that the dim sums were incredibly tasty and was thankful that they did not resemble any insects in the slightest (the key I believe to eating unconventional food).

This ‘gourmet’ dining experience was designed to promote sustainability in our ever expanding world. However I believe that insect protein could also play a role when looking after our health. Currently adults in the UK obtain most of their protein from meat (British Nutrition Foundation), but this source can be high in saturated fat leading to raised cholesterol levels and subsequent health issues. 
 
Insects offer a concentrated source of protein, with lower saturated fat levels than the traditional meats. Not only do some insects contain over 60 % protein, but for those of us requiring a quick refuel, chomping away on the African termite can deliver a whopping 761 calories per 100g as well (maybe not so appealing to some).
   

Insects are not only a high energy and protein source. The call for free vitamins on the NHS by Prof Dame Sally Davies last week has been received with some controversy as surely an encouragement to increase kids intake of fruit and vegetables would be better. However insects could step in and save the day here again being packed full of vitamins and minerals with 100 g of the Angolan caterpillar Angolan providing over 100 % of your recommended daily allowance for iron, copper, zinc and vitamins B1 and  B2 (reviewed by DeFoliart, Crop Protection).

So seeing as insects have all these wonderful benefits and are eaten by the majority of other countries already, why don’t we see them being used more in the UK? One of the main problems is sourcing them. Ray and Cheti imported their locusts and mealworms all the way over from Denmark (the same suppliers which Noma, third best restaurant in the world, use). Currently insects are expensive to buy in the UK, one retailer offering 10 locusts for £11.54, and are seen (to some) as a luxury in Britain. However as the general population becomes accustomed to the idea of eating insects, this delicacy could become cheap and easy to produce, with insect farms being built in urban areas, requiring minimal space and attention. As non-sentient animals, they may also be seen as a protein source for those vegetarians who choose their lifestyle due to ethical reasons.
 
I imagine though that once the British public get over the idea that insects are too gross to eat, then they could be a good, cheap, tasty source of protein. However I’m not too sure I’m willing to regularly replace my Sunday roast beef with insect dumplings in the future.




For more information on our opinions on the ever changing public health issues, get in touch with us. Follow us @BrandingScience on Twitter or visit our LinkedIn company page.

Becky Geffen Graduate Research Executive
  • BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences from Newcastle University majoring in medicinal chemistry
  • MSc Pharmacology from Oxford University
  • Research experience in anticancer drug design and the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
 

 

Friday 25 October 2013


Weekly Health news round up


It’s been a week where accusations and relationships have been put to the test, after the German Chancellor is accusing the US of spying on her phone conversations.



Simon Stevens named chief executive of NHS England


England's health divide: how do life expectancies compare?


Butter is bad – a myth we've been fed by the 'healthy eating' industry


Baldness treatment a 'step closer'


Prevently.com launches this Friday, aims to become "Facebook of Health"

 

Thursday 24 October 2013

Something Wicked This Way Comes


In the February of 1692, two girls from Salem Village in the young American colonies began to suffer from strange fits that left them screaming, uttering strange sounds, contorting into strange positions, and with violent outbursts. A minister from a nearby town described their illness as “beyond the power of Epileptic Fits or natural disease to effect” and – assuming that only the supernatural could cause this illness - the Salem Village soon began the famous Salem Witch Trials.

Swept up by hysteria, everyone accused their neighbors, friends, and family of witchcraft. The town executed twenty people, nineteen by hanging and one by pressing to death when he failed to plead guilty. Five more of the accused died in prison.  The final trial took place in May 1693 and, with the defendants found not guilty, the case officially ended – at least judicially. The trials never died in the mind of the public, however, and for the decades and centuries that followed it obsessed the public with its plethora of unanswered questions.

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is based on the witch trials.

One of the main questions: what caused those girls to act so strangely and spark the craze of paranoia that led to so many deaths? Many theories have been put forward throughout the centuries, mostly based on the assumption that the girls faked their illness either to fuel family rivalries or as a cruel prank.

In 1976, Linnda R. Carporael proposed a new hypothesis: that the girls were suffering from poisoning by ergot-tainted rye. Their symptoms cited in the trials – convulsion, hallucination, crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, mania, psychosis, and delirium – match that of ergotism. Moreover, there was an abundance of rye in the area and, during those years, the right weather conditions for ergot to flourish. Although this theory has been subject to some academic debate, it is still one of the most widely accepted reasons behind the seventeenth century hysteria. 

Ergot is a group of fungus whose consumption causes a number of severe pathological syndromes in humans or other animals. As early as 1095, a special hospital was founded to treat the symptoms of ergotism. The condition gained the nickname “St. Anthony’s Fire” for the order of monks who founded the hospital and the burning sensation ergot poisoning causes in the limbs of the contaminated.
The effects of ergot have also been used deliberately in drugs. As Paul L. Schiff Jr. explains:
In 1582 a preparation of ergot that was employed in small doses by midwives to produce strong uterine contractions was described by Adam Lonicer in his Kreuterbuch. The use of ergot as an oxytocic in childbirth became very popular in France, Germany, and the United States. The first use of the drug in official medicine was described by the American physician John Stearns in 1808, when he reported on the uterine contractile actions of a preparation of ergot obtained from blackened granary rye as a remedy for “quickening childbirth.” However, shortly thereafter the number of stillborn neonates rose to a point that the Medical Society of New York initiated an investigation. As a result of this enquiry, it was recommended in 1824 that ergot only be used in the control of postpartum hemorrhage. Ergot was introduced into the first edition of the United States Pharmacopeia in 1820 and into the London Pharmacopeia in 1836.
In modern pharmaceuticals, ergot is used in medicines in the form of ergotamine. One example is Cafergot, a Novartis drug which is used to treat migraine headaches. Although cases are rare, the Novartis Consumer Information cites a risk of developing ergotism associated with the drug. Cafergot was discontinued in the UK in 2012. Ergoline alkaloids, originally isolated from ergot fungus, is also used in pharmaceuticals for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, albeit usually in synthetic derivatives.
It is incredible to consider that we are now able to harness this poison - which has tortured humanity for millennia – for good. Yet the risk of poisoning still remains high, with several outbreaks of ergotism in the twentieth century. The risk of witchcraft accusations may be lower in this day and age, but with Halloween approaching… perhaps it’s best if you watch what you eat.
Sources
Paul L. Schiff, Jr. "Ergot and Its Alkaloids" in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, October 15 2006. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637017/
“Ergot” from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot
“Ergotism” from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism
“Ergotamine” from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotamine
“Salem Witch Trials” from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials
"Cafergot” from Drugs.com. http://www.drugs.com/pro/cafergot.html
“Cafergot: Consumer Information” from the Novartis Canadian Website http://www.novartis.ca/products/en/pharmaceuticals-c.shtml


Wednesday 23 October 2013

Understanding the cultural values influencing patients

Odette Navarro and Axel Rousseau from Branding Science will be facilitating at EPhMRA Asia in Singapore (November the 14th, 14.35 - 15.05) a session on understanding cultural differences to optimise research and marketing.
Join us to hear more!

Abstract:
Exploring 3 markets, our session will demonstrate the importance of understanding how cultural values may lead to certain behaviours and therefore, the importance of taking this into account when designing and analysing patient research.  Using a framework developed by social academic - Professor Geert Hofstede, the speakers will show how various identifiable cultural dimensions can be used to make cultural comparisons and can then be used to adapt research design and methodology to facilitate research engagement.



Speakers:
Odette Navarro,  Managing Director,  Branding Science - Philippines / Asia and  Axel Rousseau,  Research Manager,  Branding Science - Japan / Asia
Chair: 
Yong Huey Ling - IMS Health, China

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Wearable Gadgets in Healthcare - Google Glass

Wearable gadgets are rapidly becoming commonplace. At the San Francisco wearable technology conference and fashion show last Monday, Manish Chandra, a tech entrepreneur, stated that “Everyone agrees the race is just beginning, and I think we’re going to see some very, very big leaps in just the next year.” (Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce). Even as of this afternoon, I have jumped on the bandwagon and been allocated the Branding Science Jawbone wristband which will track my movements and sleep patterns over the next week and feed this data back to me. What Google have gone and questioned is, why not further extend the function of these wearable devices so that your phone, camera and the internet can actually be an extendable part of you.

And this is exactly what Google Glass is pioneering. The Google Glass principle is to work as a smartphone device which completely frees up your hands. You can send text messages, set reminders, take photos or navigate your way around new cities, all just by giving a voice command. These examples of the uses of Glass are the mere tip of the iceberg, with the tiny screen projected at the top right corner of your vision compatible with a vast range of applications.

Whilst undoubtedly this is an incredibly impressive and innovative technology, the number of people glued to their smartphones is already removing us from reality enough. According to The Telegraph, the average user taps away for over 2 hours a day even though only 12 minutes of this time is actually spent using the traditional phoning function. Concerns have been raised about the risk that these glasses, which connect you to the internet 24/7, will push us further down this rickety road. Whilst Google Glass has opposed this criticism by suggesting that their device provides the option for the wearers to be looking up and around at the real world rather than be looking down at their phone, and yet still being made aware of those essential emails, I can’t see this device becoming mainstream with the public in the near future, especially not with the expected hefty price tag; the developer version costs £985 although the consumer version is expected to be a little cheaper.

However I do believe the glasses could have many useful applications, worth disrupting your vision for. One of these such functions will be in the world of healthcare. This can be from a consumer point of view and offer an expansion of the already wearable devices on the market. The athlete competing in endurance races can have reminders pop up in his vision to rehydrate or re-energise when devices measure that blood sugar levels are falling. Alternatively those who are on a health kick can be advised of the healthy choice on the menu when Google Glass identifies the restaurant they have just arrived at.  

There are a whirlwind of possibilities of technological advances for the pharmaceutical industry as well as doctors using the Google Glass. Philips and Accenture have partnered to come up with a concept allowing physicians to summon patient details, thereby giving them access to important information such as vital signs, allergies and weight, all whilst remaining hands free to perform procedures and concentrate on the surgery or examination in progress.

 
Other possibilities lie in field of pharmaceutical sales. Evolving from the iPad and other sales materials, the Google Glass can give sales reps quick answers to doctor’s questions by providing information such as insert leaflets as an app on the Google Glass system.  
These huge potentials are obviously still in the pipeline, with the Google Glass yet to be released for general sale. However if we are listening to the rumours, we can expect the Google Glass to be launched some point towards the end of this year or at the beginning of 2014, and it will be interesting to see how the Google Glass capacity grows…watch this space!

For more information on how we think the world of healthcare technology is changing, get in touch with us. Follow us @BrandingScience on Twitter or visit our LinkedIn company page.

 

Becky Geffen Graduate Research Executive
-       BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences from Newcastle University majoring in medicinal chemistry
-       MSc Pharmacology from Oxford University
-       Research experience in anticancer drug design and the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance